Bodega Roda, Cirsion, Rioja, Spain 2017

CIRSION

Wine from selected bunches where the grapes have matured exceptionally.

In 1995 we discovered that some vines produced grapes whose flavor was very different to the one of the vines around them. They produced a sensation of fullness, of volume, with notes that were more alike to a wine than to a grape. Two years later, we made our first CIRSION, which we did not commercialize, and we tested that with a short aging, the wine reached a level of incredible silkiness and a fruit complexity out of the ordinary. Each vintage we walk through the vineyards looking for this curious natural peculiarity, and that’s how, one in a thousand, the CIRSION grapes are picked.

TASTING

Colour:

Very intense, enormous depth and almost impenetrable. Red flashes with icing tones are projected from the background.

Nose:

Very complex, formed by a thousand layers almost indecipherable, but all exciting. There is a light smoked veil, a slight aromatic smoke of the best oak and the finest spices. Blackness in fruits with redness glows. Wet land and rain on the earth. Ripe fruits return in full splendor.

A box with fresh spices, cocoa, tobacco and a landscape of violets in the background. Enigmatic: smoke, moist earth. Small black fruits and some red, even flowers.

Palate:

Voluminous, fresh, long, endless…

Red fruits with very fresh red sparkles. Amazing tannin in such a young wine. Intensity and delicacy, endless freshness, silky and alive, full and caressing. Cocoa is seasoned with a delicate black fruit liqueur and notes of pink pepper. Great vintage of Cirsion, undoubtedly among the best.

TECHNICAL DATA

Grape variety:

89% Tempranillo and 11% Graciano.

Vineyard:

Selected bunches from different plots. Applied methods from own research and development on polymerisation of tannins and anthocyanins.

Fermentation:

In French oak vats, with controlled temperature. Malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels.

Ageing:

During 8 months in 100% brand new French oak barrels.

Bodegas Roda

Rioja, Spain

Founded in 1987, Bodegas Roda is located in the town of Haro in La Rioja, covering 120 hectares of vineyards, 75ha of which they own.

In a nutshell: Bodegas Roda is a modern winery, founded in the late 1980s. They have rapidly gained respect for their meticulous research into the Tempranillo grape variety developed via the identification of 552 clones with 20 clones ultimately selected for propagation judged by the quality they deliver in specific vineyard plots.

The Atlantic and Mediterranean climates in the region play against each other, causing each vineyard to respond differently from harvest to harvest. As a result, Roda have become experts in variation, aiming to produce wines that are not just indicative of the terroir, but that reflect the climatic year of each vintage.

The winery at Bodegas Roda was renovated in 2019, providing more blending options such as individual vineyard vinification. They focus on minimum intervention with spontaneous fermentations, short macerations and French oak only to minimise oak impact. Sustainability practices are key for Roda, as a partner of the European SHIP2FAIR project supporting renewable sources of energy. In addition, they produce the highly acclaimed Aubocassa Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Majorca, which launched on the market in 1998 and has since become a reference brand among high-end Extra Virgin Olive Oils.

The terroir: Traditional bush vines are dry farmed at high altitude on predominantly sandstone soil slopes, with low rainfall. Many of the Bodegas Roda vineyards are in the foothills of the mountains, but they have recently purchased land at a higher altitude to provide the best variations in the face of climate change. The Bodega owns a number of old vines up to 100 years old, that produce grapes with extraordinary qualities. Roda has plantings of the three native varieties, Tempranillo, Graciano and Garnacha, with all farming done sustainably.

The Bodegas Roda “personality”: A new-wave Rioja producer and Tempranillo expert, with a focus on the vineyard and clonal studies to produce the best quality wines.